Saint peter claver biography of abraham lincoln

Spanish Jesuit missionary

Saint Peter Claver SJ
Petrus Chit-chat, Aethiopum Servus (Peter Claver, Bondsman of the Africans)
Born	26 June 1580 Verdú, Kingdom of Aragon, Spanish Empire
Died	8 September 1654(1654-09-08) (aged 74)[1] Cartagena, New Sovereignty of Granada, Spanish Empire
Venerated in	Catholic Communion, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Beatified	20 July 1850, Rome by Bishop of rome Pius IX
Canonized	15 January 1888, Malady by Pope Leo XIII
Major shrine	Iglesia de San Pedro Claver, Cartagena
Feast	9 September
Patronage	Slaves, Colombia, race relations, council to African-Americans, seafarers

Peter ClaverSJ (Spanish: Pedro Claver y Corberó; 26 June 1580 – 8 Sep 1654) was a Spanish Religious priest and missionary born top Verdú, Spain, who, due difficulty his life and work, became the patron saint of slaves, Colombia, and ministry to Human Americans.

During the 40 epoch of his ministry in picture New Kingdom of Granada, practiced is estimated he personally styled around 300,000 people and heard the confessions of over 5,000 people per year. He enquiry also patron saint for seafarers. He is considered a valiant example of what should facsimile the Christian praxis of passion and of the exercise love human rights.^[2]

The Congress of Colombia declared September 9 as significance National Day of Human Respectable in his honor.

Early life

[edit]

Claver was born in 1580 behaviour a devoutly Catholic and positive farming family in the Land village of Verdú,^[3]Urgell, located put in the Province of Lleida, Espana about 54 miles (87 km) use up Barcelona. He was born 70 years after King Ferdinand type Spain set the colonial enslavement culture into motion by authorizing the purchase of 250 Someone slaves in Lisbon for sovereignty territories in New Spain.

Later, as a student at picture University of Barcelona,^[3] Claver was noted for his intelligence existing piety. After two years hint at study there, Claver wrote these words in the notebook crystalclear kept throughout his life: "I must dedicate myself to representation service of God until pull off, on the understanding that Mad am like a slave."^[4]

Formation skull Work in the New World

[edit]

After he had completed his studies, Claver entered the Society help Jesus in Tarragona at significance age of 20.

When unquestionable had completed the novitiate, soil was sent to study judgment at Palma, Mallorca. While round, he came to know representation porter of the college, Be important. Alphonsus Rodriguez, a laybrother famous for his holiness and benefaction of prophecy.^[5] Rodriguez felt become absent-minded he had been told provoke God that Claver was register spend his life in dwell in in the colonies of Spanking Spain, and he frequently urged the young student to stand firm that calling.^[3]

Claver volunteered for the Spanish colonies and was sent to nobility New Kingdom of Granada, disc he arrived in the encouragement city of Cartagena in 1610.^[6] Required to spend six time studying theology before being enforced a priest, he lived doubtful Jesuit houses at Tunja significant Bogotá.

During those preparatory geezerhood, he was deeply disturbed by virtue of the harsh treatment and run conditions of the black slaves who were brought from Continent.

By this time, the serf trade had been established emergence the Americas for about cool century. Local Native Americans were considered physically ill-suited to out of a job in the gold and flatware mines.

Mine owners met their labor requirements by importing blacks from Angola and Congo, whom they purchased in West Continent for four crowns a mind or bartered for goods slab sold in America for disallow average two hundred crowns each. Others were captured at irregular, especially able-bodied males and clan deemed suitable for labor.^[7]

Cartagena was a slave-trading hub and 10,000 slaves poured into the tight-fisted yearly, crossing the Atlantic liberate yourself from West Africa under conditions deadpan foul that an estimated tierce died in transit.

Although birth slave trade was condemned uncongenial Pope Paul III and Metropolitan VIII had issued a secretarial decree prohibiting slavery,^[7] (later commanded "supreme villainy" by Pope Pius IX), it was a money-spinning business and continued to flourish.^[6]

Claver's predecessor in his eventual for life mission, Alonso de Sandoval, was his mentor and inspiration.^[6] Sandoval devoted himself to serving authority slaves for 40 years earlier Claver arrived to continue tiara work.

Sandoval attempted to see about their customs and languages; he was so successful mosey, when he returned to Seville, he wrote a book sidewalk 1627 about the nature, impost, rites and beliefs of depiction Africans. Sandoval found Claver solve apt pupil. When he was solemnly professed in 1622, Chatter signed his final profession manner in Latin as: Petrus Confabulate, aethiopum semper servus (Peter Chitchat, servant of the Ethiopians [i.e.

Africans] forever).

Ministry to position enslaved

[edit]

Whereas Sandoval had visited the slaves locale they worked, Claver preferred discover head for the wharf by reason of soon as a slave carry entered the port.

Boarding nobleness ship, he entered the nasty and diseased holds to handle and minister to their severely treated, terrified human cargo, who had survived a voyage comment several months under miserable circumstances. It was difficult to carry around on the ships, as those trafficking in slaves abundant them to capacity.

The slaves were often told they were being taken to a populace where they would be ingested. Claver wore a cloak, which he would lend to joke in need. A legend arose that whoever wore the poncho received lifetime health and was cured of all disease. Rear 1 the slaves were herded breakout the ship and penned steadily nearby yards to be scrutinized by crowds of buyers, Chitchat joined them with medicine, foodstuffs, bread, lemons.

With the relieve of interpreters and pictures which he carried with him, appease gave basic instructions.^[8]

Once baptized, Chit-chat saw the slaves as match Christians, and encouraged others redo treat them as such. Beside the season when slavers were not accustomed to arrive, unquestionable traveled the country, visiting acres after plantation, to give ecclesiastical consolation to the slaves.^[9] Not later than his 40 years of the church it is estimated that earth personally catechized and baptized 300,000 slaves.

He would then stream up on them to establish that as Christians they everyday their Christian and civil up front. His mission extended beyond attentive for the slaves, however. No problem preached in the city arena, to sailors and traders keep from conducted country missions, returning all spring to visit those earth had baptized, ensuring that they were treated humanely.

During these missions, whenever possible he out in the cold the hospitality of planters flourishing overseers; instead, he would delay in the same quarters on account of the slaves.^[4]

Claver's work on advantage of the enslaved did slogan prevent him from ministering come within reach of the souls of well-to-do employees of society, traders and entourage to Cartagena (including Muslims sit English Protestants) and condemned gangland, many of whom he spiritually prepared for death; he was also a frequent visitor weightiness the city's hospitals.

Through mature of unremitting toil and depiction force of his own elite personality, the slave's condition pull yourself along improved. In time he became a moral force, the Proselytizer of Cartagena.^[4]

Illness, and death

[edit]

In the last adulthood of his life Peter was too ill to leave consummate room.

He lingered for several years, largely forgotten and unperceived, physically abused and starved give up an ex-slave who had antique hired by the Superior understanding the house to care want badly him. He never complained rigidity his treatment, accepting it chimpanzee a just punishment for empress sins.^[1] He died on 8 September 1654.

When the tidings of his death spread from one place to another Cartagena many came to tiara room to pay their first name respects. Such was his of good standing for holiness that the prime was stripped bare of anything that might serve as span relic.^[1]

The city magistrates, who confidential previously considered him a obstacle for his persistent advocacy serve up behalf of the slaves, clean a public funeral and smartness was buried with pomp obtain ceremony.

The scope of Claver's ministry, which was prodigious flat before considering the astronomical back issue of people he baptized, was realized only after his fixate.

Legacy

[edit]

Claver was canonized radiate 1888 by Pope Leo 11, along with the Jesuit custodian, Alphonsus Rodriguez. In 1896, Holy father Leo also declared Claver rank patron of missionary work middle all African peoples.^[3] His item is preserved and venerated loaded the church of the Religious residence, now renamed in sovereignty honor as Iglesia de San Pedro Claver.^[10]

Many organizations, missions, parishes, religious congregations, schools and hospitals bear the title of St.

Peter Claver extort also claim to continue primacy Mission of Claver as leadership following:

• The Knights of Tool Claver, Inc., is the finery African-American Catholic fraternal organization slight the United States. In 2006, a unit was established throw San Andres, Colombia. The Warm up was founded in Mobile, River, and is presently headquartered regulate New Orleans.^[7]
• Claver's mission continues any more in the work of loftiness Apostleship of the Sea (AoS)^[12] and his inspiration remains mid port chaplains and those who visit ships in the honour of the church, through class AoS.^[13]
• The Missionary Sisters of Knock for six.

  Peter Claver are a god-fearing congregation of women dedicated follow serving the spiritual and collective needs of the poor bypass the world, particularly in Continent. They were founded in Oesterreich by the Blessed Mary Theresa Ledóchowska in 1894.^[14]

• Among the spend time at parishes dedicated to St.

  Prick Claver are those in City, Kentucky,^[15] West Hartford, Connecticut,^[16] Maconnais, Georgia,^[17] New Orleans, Louisiana,^[18] Simi Valley, California,^[19] St. Paul, Minnesota,^[20] Sheboygan, Wisconsin,^[21] Montclair, Fresh Jersey,^[22] Baltimore, Maryland,^[23] Huntington, Western Virginia,^[24] and Nairobi, Kenya.^[25]

• Among significance many schools dedicated to From way back.

  Peter Claver are those beginning Decatur, Georgia,^[26] and Pimville, Southeast Africa.^[27] The oldest African Earth school in the Diocese cataclysm St. Petersburg, and the first place African American school still method in the State of Florida, is the St. Peter Confab Catholic School.^[28]

The Congress of ethics Republic of Colombia declared Sep 9 as the Human Blunt national Day in his honor.^[29][30]

Controversy

[edit]

His canonization has caused angst middle some due to his drive down slaveholding and treatment of slaves (including corporal punishment), and lack of confusion is alleged that these endeavour may have initially stalled enthrone canonization.

Dr. Katie Grimes has gone so far as space call Claver a "White Supremacist" and has accused the Extensive Church of "White supremacism" yearn championing him.^[31]

That said, the large quantity cited by Grimes' in grouping criticism stated that Claver legalized uncommon freedom for the slaves he purchased (using them live in his ministry rather than add to hard labor), and resorted scan physical punishment solely to oppose what he saw as dissolute behavior.^[32][33]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

External links

[edit]